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Tracing Your Royal Navy Print 13 May 2016.Docx You can research the experiences of an individual by looking at: · Service records – administrative files may record dates and places of enlistment and demobilisation, postings and units, injuries or disciplinary action. Different records exist for airmen and officers · Casualty information – sources recording those wounded or taken prisoner of war as well as the burial and commemoration of those who died · Medal records – medal entitlements can indicate involvement in specific campaigns as well as awards for service or gallantry · Ship and operational histories – resources describing the day to day operational activities of units · Social and local history – church records, local newspapers, school and workplace registers may mention an individual Start by gathering information from mementoes, medals, letters and documents that you or other family members may still have. Look for clues about which units the person served with, what ranks they held and their service number to help you find and search the right records. Many records are only available online, sometimes on more than one site. We have listed the main sources but there may be others: · Ancestry.co.uk – A · findmypast.co.uk – F · IWM’s Lives of the First World War – www.livesoftheforstworldwar.org - L · The National Archives – www.nationalarchives.gov.uk – T · Naval & Military Press - www.nmarchive.com – N · National Museum Royal Navy - www.nmrn.org.uk/research/finding-service-records - NMRN Some records are free to view but others are available on a subscription or pay per view basis (£). Find links to all the records listed in this leaflet at www.iwm.org.uk/research/tracing-your-family- history/tracing-your-navy-history IWM Visit IWM London, IWM North, IWM Duxford, Churchill War Rooms and HMS Belfast and explore and research the wartime experiences of people from across Britain and the Commonwealth from 1914 to the present. IWM collections include documents, art, photos, film, sound recordings, printed materials, publications, ephemera and objects ranging from badges, uniforms, equipment and weapons to ships, tanks and aircraft. IWM London has an outstanding research library including over 150,000 books and periodicals. Research our collections using the online catalogue www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search. Keep the initial search simple, and try a variety of terms. Results can be filtered, for example using ‘Category’ allows you to select different types of material. Drop-in to Explore History at IWM London for free, where you can search the catalogues, and use other online resources and multimedia displays to discover treasures from our archives and the personal stories behind them. Appointments are available for you to do more in-depth investigation in our Research Room. Check www.iwm.org.uk/research/research-facilities for more information, opening times and to request an appointment. Other free IWM signposting guides include: · Tracing Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force Ancestry · Tracing Royal Navy Ancestry · Tracing Merchant Navy Ancestry · Tracing Prisoners of War · Tracing Home Front Ancestry 1939–1945 2 © IWM, 05/2016 This guide covers individuals who served in the: · Royal Navy (RN) · Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) – professional seafarers who served with the Merchant Navy and who could be called to serve in the event of war · Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) – civilians who volunteered to train on shore based establishments and then at sea, who could be called to serve in the event of war (pre-war this was comparable to the Territorial Army). Sometimes called the ‘Wavy Navy’ because of the pattern of officers rank braid. Most officers recruited during wartime where granted temporary commissions in the RNVR. · Royal Marines (RM) – naval infantry troops who served at sea and on land · Royal Naval Division (RND) - during the First World War there were more recruits than were needed by the Navy and Army so they were formed into infantry brigades known as the Royal Naval Division. They served on land as soldiers. · Fleet Air Arm - the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) merged with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in April 1918 to become the Royal Air Force (RAF) – see the RAF leaflet for further details. The Fleet Air Arm was formed on 1 April 1924 from RAF squadrons operating at sea. Shore establishments (naval bases on land) as well as ships use the prefix HMS (His or Her Majesty’s Ship). Personnel who served in the Second World War and subsequent conflicts may still be alive so their records remain confidential. This can make it difficult to trace an individual but a variety of sources can provide clues. Royal Navy service records The National Archives (TNA) holds most of the service records for men who served up to the 1920s.The National Museum of the Royal Navy holds some additional records at the Fleet Air Arm Museum. The arm of the navy that an individual served with, their rank, ship or shore establishment and dates of service determine which set of records you need. If an individual was commissioned from the ranks or moved between different services you may find service records in more than one set of files. Royal Navy (RN) ratings: · The National Archives guide to Royal Navy Ratings service records,1853-1928 · Royal Navy Registers of Seamen’s services 1853-1924 (ADM 188) on T and A and for 1899-1924 F (£) · Royal Navy Registers of Seamen’s services 1925-1929 (ADM 362) on T (£) · Royal Navy Seamen’s services Continuous Record cards 1925-1939 (ADM 363) on T (£) RN officers commissioned up to 1917, Royal Marines (RM) officers commissioned up to 1925 and RN warrant officers who joined up to 1931 · The National Archives guide to RN officers’ service records 1756-1931 · Service records (ADM 196) on T, for 1899 to 1919 on F and an index with links to TNA records on A (£) RN officers & ratings who served up to 1919 and who were awarded pensions after 20 years’ service · Officers and Ratings Service Records Series II (ADM 29) – on T and A (£) RN, Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) officers 1880 to 1960 · The National Archives guide to RN officers’ service record cards 1840-1920 · Officers’ Service Record Cards and Files (ADM 340) – on T (£) RNR officers and ratings · The National Archives guide to Royal Naval Reserve service records 1860-1955 · Ratings’ Records of Service (mainly First World War) (BT 377) on T and an index with links to T on A (£) · Ratings’ service cards (approximately A3 size) for 140,000 ratings at NMRN · Officers’ Service Records (First World War) (ADM 240) at T (£) · Officers and ratings who served up to 1946 - sample of Record of Service cards (BT 164) - on T (£) Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) · The National Archives guide to Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve service records 1903-1922 · Officers who served 1914 to 1922 and ratings who served 1903 to 1919 Service Records (ADM 337) Not all records have survived – on T and an index with links to TNA records on A (£) · RN and RNVR Ratings who served 1888 to 1923 - Engagement and Enrolment Papers at NMRN 3 © IWM, 05/2016 Royal Marines: · The National Archives guide to Royal Marines’ service records 1842-1925 · Registers of Service 1842 to 1936 (ADM159) on T, F(1899-1919) and an index with links to TNA records on A (£) · Royal Marine Light Infantry (Plymouth, Chatham & Portsmouth Divisions and some other formations) - approx. 60,000 Royal Marine Attestation Packs at NMRN Royal Naval Division (RND) officers and men who served during the First World War · The National Archives guide to Royal Naval Division service records 1914-1919 · Service records (ADM 339) on T, L and F (£) · An index with links to TNA records on A (£) · original service cards (approx. A5 size) approximately 50,000 at NMRN The service records of those who served from the 1920s onwards are held by the Ministry of Defence (Naval Disclosure Cell). Full records will be released to proven next of kin. Only very basic information about deceased service personnel will be released to other enquirers, with slightly more detail made available 25 years after the date of death. The fee is currently £30. Download the application forms from www.gov.uk/get- copy-military-service-records The careers of naval officers can be traced through their commissions and promotions listed in the regular official Navy List. These contain seniority lists of all officers, cross referred to individual ships. A full set of these publications is held by TNA, IWM holds an almost complete run from 1914 and some of those from 1888-1970 are on A (£) The London Gazette also lists commissions and promotions up to the present day - www.thegazette.co.uk Casualty records Casualty records may list those who were wounded, taken prisoner, killed in action or died as a result of their war service. Rolls of Honour can sometimes include those who served and returned. Nominal Rolls may occasionally be found in ship histories and periodicals – see Ship and Operational Histories. For more information about prisoners of war see our Tracing Prisoners of War guide and The National Archives guide to tracing deaths during the First and Second World Wars. Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Marine (RM) officers and ratings who were discharged from the navy from 1914-1920 due to sickness or wounds were issued with a badge to wear on their civilian clothing - the Silver War Badge Roll (ADM 171 183-187) on microform at T Men who had plastic surgery 1917-1925: Information such as rank, tour dates, injuries, and admission and release from the hospital - The Harold Gillies Plastic Surgery Archives on L, F (£) Naval ratings who received a war service pension – summary cards and ledgers held by the Western Front Association.
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